The Undeniable Ruthhttp://www.undeniableruth.com
...and the Ruth shall set you free!Sun, 02 Aug 2015 04:26:26 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Day 62/90 – Hanging Out with Jeffhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/08/01/day-62-hanging-out-with-jeff/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/08/01/day-62-hanging-out-with-jeff/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 04:26:26 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4364Day 62 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to hang out with my friend and partner-in-crime Jeff Moriarty.

I love this photo of Jeff and me from an Ignite Phoenix #17 Speaker Bootcamp. Photo by Brandon Larkin. (Creative Commons License)

Jeff came over to hang out for a bit today. My dog, Rosie, loves him. She loses her mind and howls like crazy when she sees him at the door. Today was no exception. It’s so funny to watch. Today was extra special for her because he brought her a treat which she gobbled up instantly.

I think the rest of the visit will probably be really boring for you to hear about – we just sat on the couch catching up about life, work, our dogs, etc. It was wonderful to catch up in a no-stress, no-agenda environment, and to watch Rosie periodically walk over to Jeff and stick her nose up on the couch next to him to request/demand attention.

It’s always a delight to catch up with my friends. Being so busy, it’s hard to make scheduling fun with friends a priority, but I realize it is part of what makes me exceptionally happy.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/08/01/day-62-hanging-out-with-jeff/feed/0Day 61/90 – Not So Awesome Dayhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/31/day-61-not-so-awesome-day/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/31/day-61-not-so-awesome-day/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 05:46:15 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4362I’m glad I’m doing the 90 Days of Awesome, but if you haven’t noticed by now, not every day is stellar. I had some awesome moments working with my clients today, but I’m also processing a lot of emotional issues too which is painful and draining.

Alone by Lee J Haywood from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

For me, being a trauma survivor means going to 12-step meetings, being in therapy, taking medication and constantly being aware of depression, anxiety, and escapist behavior. And when I’m not avoid my feelings through escapism, I actually have to feel them. That can be really uncomfortable and painful for me – emotionally and physically painful. We were processing my feelings in therapy today and at one point I was shaky, curled up on my therapist’s couch, and feeling like a lumberjack stomped on my sternum. Needless to say, I was pretty drained after that, but it’s part of the process.

When I got home tonight I saw a post on Facebook that my friends got some really bad news. My heart goes out to their family.

On top of all that, I haven’t been sleeping well lately for several reasons. Last night I was so pumped and energized after being on News Now that it took a while to wind down. Even though I got to bed late, my alarm went off at its usual early hour and it was back to the grind. Thank goodness for coffee.

So what’s my plan for the weekend? I hope to take it easy. I have some chores, errands, and a bit of work to do, but for the most part, I hope to keep things mellow.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/31/day-61-not-so-awesome-day/feed/1Day 60/90 – Being on Fox 10 Phoenixhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/30/day-60-fox-10-phoenix/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/30/day-60-fox-10-phoenix/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 04:56:04 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4358Day 60 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to be on Fox 10 Phoenix’sNews Now!

Selfie in the Fox 10 Lobby!

Is this the beginning of my career as a talking head? I hope so!

I was walking Rosie around 5 o’clock tonight when my phone rang. It was my friend and partner-in-crime Jeff Moriarty. He’s the head of social media at Fox 10. He created News Now at Fox 10 – a live video show that appears on Fox 10’s YouTube channel and Facebook account. It’s pretty awesome. He asked me if I was interested and available in being on the show at 7 to talk about some legal news stories of the day.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/30/day-60-fox-10-phoenix/feed/0Day 59/90 – Quasi-Mental Health Dayhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/29/day-59-quasi-mental-health-day/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/29/day-59-quasi-mental-health-day/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 04:13:53 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4356Day 59 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I took a quasi-mental health day.

This is how I looked after running 4 miles. I was covered with a film of sweat.

I won’t deny that I’ve needed a break. I’ve been cranking hard on client work this summer. When I was a solo lawyer, my days were my own. I only went to my office when I had clients and otherwise I worked from home and my schedule was entirely my own. I had a day like that today.

I got up at my usual hour but instead of heading to the office, I headed out for a run. It felt so good to pound pavement in the middle of the week. After I finished breakfast and cleared email, I ran errands in the middle of the morning. The file server at work was fixed so I worked from the home office for most of the afternoon. It felt so good to break up the monotony of my every day routine. I need to remember to do that more often.

Having structure in my day creates security but it can also create a rut. I need to keep my energy moving by mixing things up periodically.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/29/day-59-quasi-mental-health-day/feed/1Day 58/90 – Playing Hookyhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/28/day-58-playing-hooky/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/28/day-58-playing-hooky/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 03:58:15 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4352Day 58 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to play hooky from work . . . sort of.

This is how playing hooky feels! Photo by Patrick McLeod from Ignite Phoenix 16 (Creative Commons License)

It’s probably more accurate to say work played hooky from me.

Today had a good start. I got to the office early and cranked on some client work, had a few networking meetings, . . . and then our file server went down.

No worries. As long as I have the internet I can get work done.

And then the internet went down.

I looked over at Rosie the basset hound and said, “Well, we’re out of here.” I loaded her up and headed for home. The internet was still working at home so I could still get some work done. It reminded me of how I worked when I was running my solo shop – I only went to my office a few days a week and I often got to leave by early afternoon when my work was done.

My therapist suggested that I need a vacation. I snickered sarcastically at that. He’s probably right. Rosie and I got out of dodge for a night last summer and it was immensely helpful for recharging my batteries. I think I might work from home tomorrow, have a more unstructured day, especially if the file server at work is still down. I can go for a run, do some errands, and work in pajamas if I feel like it. I think breaking up the monotony would be good for me.

I’ve actually been thinking about the concepts of time and how we as a society divide our time. How did we decide that we would have a 7-day week where we have a 5-day work week and a 2-day weekend? Why do we work 9am-5pm? I’m not sure this norm is necessarily the best thing for me. Don’t get me wrong – I need some structure to keep me on task, but it might be time to re-think my schedule a bit.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/28/day-58-playing-hooky/feed/1Day 57/90 – Laughter at Workhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/27/day-57-laughter-at-work/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/27/day-57-laughter-at-work/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 03:51:14 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4349Day 57 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to laugh at work.

When most people think about the practice of law, they probably don’t picture people laughing at their desks (except maybe the evil laugh). I’m lucky that I get a lot of joy from my work and sometimes my work is so much fun it makes me laugh. And part of my job is keeping up with contacts on social media, which tends to make me burst out laughing throughout the day. Here are two of today’s highlights:

2. I’m working on a contract right now that might be the best contract I’ve ever written. (It could top the one where one party had to attest to the other that he is “a sexy bitch.”) I love it when my clients are thoughtful and creative with their contracts. This one is a licensing agreement for a unique project and my client is a down-to-earth, somewhat blunt entrepreneur and I’m trying to write in his voice rather than legalese. I asked him if he wanted any “Easter eggs” in his contract and he gave me some suggestions. I wish more clients asked me to write crazy awesome clauses in their contracts.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/27/day-57-laughter-at-work/feed/1Day 56/90 – Underwater Photo Shoothttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-56-underwater-photo-shoot/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-56-underwater-photo-shoot/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 04:25:28 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4346Day 56 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I did an underwater photo shoot!

One of Sara Santiago’s underwater test shots from a few days ago – gorgeous! (Photo by Redline Designs Photography)

My friend and fellow model Sara organized a kick-ass photo event today. There were 5-6 photographers and 6-7 models. We had 3 set ups at a house – an indoor backdrop to do bodyscaping and silhouette work and then we dropped a drape across the middle of the pool to do underwater photography on both sides! It was so much fun!

I loved seeing how each photographer worked with models and all the models’ ideas for photos – especially under water. We had big billowy dresses, swirls of loose fabric, bathing suits, and nude work going on. I had as much fun watching as modeling.

Silhouette Image from my last Photo Shoot (Photo by S-A Studios)

Underwater work was really interesting. You have a lot more freedom of movement but you also have to fight the body’s natural buoyancy and you have to think about things like air bubbles. Some of the photographers had plastic cases around their cameras to keep them dry but it also made it challenging to determine what they were seeing and capturing.

I also did some bodyscaping and silhouette work with three different photographers. I can’t wait to see all the images for all the different photographers and models – so much beauty and diversity.

I’m really enjoying modeling and I hope I get the chance to do more. I find myself spending more time looking at others’ work for ideas for new poses. If I were a professional model, I would do yoga almost every day because having core strength and flexibility makes it so much easier to create beautiful shapes with your body. Every time you see a beautiful model, even when the pose looks natural, I bet he/she is standing or sitting in a way that no normal person would in their everyday life. There’s a lot of leaning and arching involved in creating the best shapes your body can make.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-56-underwater-photo-shoot/feed/1Day 55/90 – Running with Gary Vaynerchukhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-55-running-with-gary-vaynerchuk/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-55-running-with-gary-vaynerchuk/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 12:50:15 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4343Day 55 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I went running with Gary Vaynerchuk!

This is how I feel after a good run.

And by that, I mean I went running while listening to is podcast on my iPod.

I’m still trying to figure out how running fit into my life in terms of my schedule. Yesterday, I took myself for a run/walk after walking Miss Rosie. I wanted to try out my new water bottle that straps to my hand to stay hydrated and test a new running route through Papago Park.

Love this guy!

I started out thinking I would just walk my new route, but then I remembered that walking is boring so I started running.

My run/walk was a little over 4 miles and I did it with gorgeous surroundings and Gary Vaynerchuk’s #AskGaryVee podcast blasting in my ears. Every time he started a new question, I would switch from running to walking or vice versa. The timing was just about perfect in terms of not wearing myself out too fast. I love listening to him answer questions from entrepreneurs. He’s real, blunt, but loving with his delivery, and he gives good practical advice.

It took about an hour to do the whole route. I was so sweaty by the time I got home but I felt great. And my new water bottle is exactly what I was looking for regarding my hydration needs. It’s really comfortable.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/26/day-55-running-with-gary-vaynerchuk/feed/1Day 54/90 – Just a Good Dayhttp://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/25/day-54-just-a-good-day/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/25/day-54-just-a-good-day/#commentsSat, 25 Jul 2015 14:03:44 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4341Day 54 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? It was just a good day overall!

This is a photo from Ignite Phoenix #17 – yes I’m skipping. It embodies how I felt yesterday. (Photo by Joseph Abbruscato, used with permission)

I had to think about what made yesterday awesome. There were so many good things to choose from. There was nothing especially extraordinary about the day but it had good flow and energy:

Went to the office – fourth time being the first person in where I didn’t set of the security alarm!

Cranked on client work – for many lawyers, summer is a slow time. I’ve had the opposite this year. I’m surprised that so many new and returning clients have asked me to do work for them.

Went to therapy – we’re all better people because I sit on my therapists couch every week.

Picked up a new water bottle at Runner’s Den – I wanted one that straps to my hand to help me stay hydrated during evening walks and runs.

]]>http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/25/day-54-just-a-good-day/feed/1Day 53/90 – No Cavities!http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/23/day-53-no-cavities/
http://www.undeniableruth.com/2015/07/23/day-53-no-cavities/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 03:11:21 +0000http://www.undeniableruth.com/?p=4338Day 53 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? No cavities at the dentist!

This cheesy smile is here to stay! Photo with Heather Lynn Herr at Ignite Phoenix by Devon Christopher Adams (Used with permission).

Let me start by saying that, even though I’m a self-proclaimed masochist, going to the dentist is not fun for me. But my hygienist is as good as they come and she makes the process as fast and painless as possible. She gave me a good report on my teeth but she also suggested I get a Waterpik to keep my gums healthy and prevent bone loss as I get older.

My dentist has no idea that I have an eating disorder. Dentists are often the first ones to notice a problem in people who purge because they notice enamel loss. It’s always nerve wracking to go to the dentist because I always wonder if they’re going to figure it out. Part of having this illness is managing the side effects, so I’m really diligent about taking good care of my teeth. I breathed a small sigh of relief when the dentist popped over to look at my mouth and x-rays and said, “Everything looks good.”

My hygienist did some deep cleaning which was a little painful, but I remembered one of the calming techniques I learned when I was in my piercing phase. One time when I was getting three piercings, I didn’t have any friends with me to hold my hand. (I was as the piercing parlor on a whim.) I gripped the edge of the table instead and the piercer looked at me and said something like, “That’s not going to work. Just breathe and accept the pain.” It’s a simple thought and it absolutely worked. Since then, that phrase has gotten me through all of my piercings, tattoos, and now dental work.

While I was being worked on I noted the serendipity of the timing of my dental appointment. I will be modeling this weekend and now I’ll have extra white teeth for the occasion!